Mighty Mite Is On Its Way to a Palm Near You

After devastating coconut palm trees in the Caribbean, the red palm mite made its way to Palm Beach County almost five years ago when it was discovered in Palm Beach Gardens. Today, these critters are known from 386 sites in five Florida counties, which includes 154 sites alone in Palm Beach County. The invasion of this species is the largest mite explosion ever observed in the Americas.

Sucks the Life Out

Bright red with a long, spatulate body, this “mighty mite” is known to feed and reproduce on at least 32 palm species, bananas, gingers and heliconias. This pest lives for about 26 days. It thrives on the underside of leaves and fronds and in high numbers causes yellowing of the leaves followed by death of plant tissue. They stick their sucking snouts into the stomata of leaves and feed directly from deep within the leaf. This causes mechanical damage to the stomata so that they are no longer able to close and the leaf dries out.